Origin

The Borzoi is a large, furry, human-friendly dog breed that originated in Tsarist Russia. The Borzoi was bred to be a hunting dog for the Tsars and the wealthy and affluent Russian nobility. Thus he has the long legs and sleek body frame that suggests his truest calling: running. But despite the breed's initial intention, when he is well-trained and well-socialized, the Borzoi is a wonderful pet. [...]

The Borzoi became popular in the period of time before the Russian Revolution in 1917. This period of time in Russian history is commonly referred to as "Tsarist Russia" because it was when the Tsars were in power. The Russian Tsars were immensely important to the Borzoi for many reasons: they are, in fact, the very cause of the popularity of the Borzoi as well as being the responsible parties for the breeding of the Borzoi into the dog we know and love today. [...]

Cesky terriers, pronounced "ches-kee", are a rare breed of dog developed in Czechoslovakia by crossing Sealyham terriers and Scottish terriers to produce a hunting terrier lighter in build but solid, not heavy or coarse. They stand ten to twelve inches at the shoulder and weight from sixteen to twenty pounds. The Cesky dog breed did not arrive in this country until the second half of the 1980's, with approximately three hundred Cesky in the United States today. Almost all the original Cesky came from Holland but since then, there are dogs imported from the UK, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, Germany, and Norway. Breeders in the United States are continuously working to diversify and increase the Cesky gene pool. [...]

The Xoloitzcuintli is more commonly known as the Mexican Hairless dog. It can also be referred to as Xolo, which is a short term for the breed. The physical appearance of the Xolo resembles a robust Manchester Terrier. The original Xoloitzcuintli had dark skin, but throughout the years, it evolved into the pink skin Xolo of today. [...]

The Belgium Malinois is one of three breeds belonging to the Belgian Shepherd dog breed. While the three types are all recognized separately by the American Kennel Club, other places in the world recognize Belgian Shepherds as one breed. The three breeds of Belgian Shepherd are the Belgian Malinois, the Belgian Sheepdog, and the Belgian Tervuren. [...]

Many of today's popular purebred dogs got their start in the royal houses of monarchs around the world. This is especially true of many toy breeds which, being too small to provide any kind of practical use for farmers or other working commoners, found their niche in the laps of the nobility and royalty. However, this is not true of the Brussels Griffon. In fact, he is one of the few dogs of his tiny size that owes his popularity, inclusion, and reorganization in dog registries like the FCI and the AKC to both the royalty and the commoner. [...]

Despite his current popularity as a companion dog, the Brussels Griffon started off as a type of working-class dog. This is not to say that he was a guard dog or worked on a farm or ranch. Rather, the Brussels Griffon was a city dog, being bred primarily in Brussels, Belgium to work within the city limits. While he did gain popularity with royalty later on, the Brussels Griffon needed to be imported to England and America in order to become the dog he is today. [...]

The Cairn Terrier is one of the oldest and the smallest terrier breeds of dogs in the world. It was originally bred in the Scottish Highlands, among the vast open plains where the only permanent form of landmark markers were piles of stones called cairns. The Cairn Terrier was named after these, for they hunted vermin and small game that resided in and around the cairns. This dog is often considered "natural" looking because of its often unkempt and raggedy like coat, not to mention that mischievous twinkle in its eyes. [...]

What is a cairn? A cairn is an artificially made conical pile of stones that can be found in uplands, or moorlands, or mountaintops. A cairn used to serve as astronomical markers, landmarks, and sepulchral monuments. In the Scottish Highlands, cairns are common. Cairn Terriers were named after these piles of stones, or rather, for their ability to dig into the burrows of vermin hiding within the cairns. [...]

The Toy Manchester Terrier has got a playful, fun personality and its eyes always are brimming with intelligence and curiosity. This toy variety has got cunning, agility and speed on its side which served it well in its native England where they were known as champion ratters. While many Toy Manchester Terrier owners claim that their dogs are excellent pets and members of the family, there is still not a lot known about this breed. However, what facts are known are rather interesting and all play a part in the breed we all recognize today. [...]

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is usually a sort of rich brown color on white with some black markings - however there are actually four recognized patterns of markings. The Cavalier King Charles can be a rich chestnut on a pearly white background and this is known as a Blenheim King Charles; then there is the black, white and brown and this is known as the tricolor spaniel; there also the black and tan and the ruby which is a rich red all over - so for all you purists out there the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel can come in a coat of many colors - a bit like Joseph really. [...]

The history of the St. Bernard dog breed is one that is mysterious and almost mythical. But there are some things that are known to be factual or at least probable. For one thing, the St. Bernard's ancestors were likely working dogs, hence the breed's categorization in today's breed recognization associations like the American Kennel Club and the FCI. The fact that the dogs were working dogs explains why they were eventually bred to be rescue dogs and also explains their size and temperament. [...]

While the ancestors of the St. Bernard dog breed were typical working dogs, meaning that they worked on farms as herders, hunters, and watchdogs, the St. Bernard that we know today was bred to be a rescue dog. In fact, his existence is shrouded in lore because of this, and he has become both a legend and an enigma.
The ancestors to the St. Bernard were brought to Switzerland by invading Roman armies around the first two centuries CE. These dogs were interbred with the native dogs in the area forming a breed used as farm dogs. These dogs were large and very loyal, plus they were incredibly strong and had a very high sense of self-preservation. These aspects of the dog's temperament made them attractive to the monks in the monastery in the St. Bernard Pass located in the Swiss Alps. These monks needed both companions and dogs that would be able to assist them in their rescue missions of snowbound travelers. [...]

We all know the beautiful St. Bernard Dog. He is the fluffy friend of stranded travelers. We have seen him on cartoons and in movies saving snowbound people from certain death by digging him out and warming him up. Of course, these movies and cartoons often depict the dog doing things like making a martini for the stranded traveler to "warm him up", and this, obviously, is untrue. But the dogs were trained to lie on top of the nearly-frozen person to raise his body temperature and prevent hypothermia.
But where did these magnificent dogs do these feats of rescuing bravery? The St. Bernard dog did these things in the Great St. Bernard Pass, the pass that went through the Alps and was the only one that went between Italy and Switzerland. This is not to be confused with the Little St. Bernard Pass, a pass that went through the Alps between Italy and France. [...]

There are very few absolute facts about the history of the St. Bernard dog breed. Because of their legendary status as rescue dogs in a foreboding area of the Swiss Alps, and the lost records of the monastery that began breeding them, the dog is surrounded by a large amount of myth and wonderment. However, there are some commonly held theories about the dog that are taken for fact or as close as historians can get to it. [...]